Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Crocs footwear and the Olsen twins eat your hearts out. Steve Irwin’s nine year-old daughter Bindi Irwin is about to stake her claim on the international fashion market, just one week shy of the one-year anniversary of the death of her wildlife warrior father.

US fashion trade paper Womens Wear Daily reports today that Bindi Wear International will have its global launch at MAGIC in Las Vegas from August 27 – the world’s largest fashion trade show which attracts over 5000 brands and 100,000 attendees. Launching in Australia immediately afterwards, Bindi Wear International is a 200-piece extension of a small children’s line that has been sold exclusively at Australia Zoo and its affiliated boutiques for the past seven years, designed under license by Yatala, Queensland-based company 3 Monsters.

According to WWD, 100 per cent of proceeds from the range will go directly to support the Australia Zoo’s conservation programs.

“My daddy was working to change the world, so everyone would love wildlife like he did” Bindi told WWD. “Now it is our turn to help”.

She added, “It’s got boys, babies, girls, accessories, bags, wallets, socks, a footwear line, hats.... tops, hoodies, jumpers, jackets, pants, skirts, jeans. There are four stories, each centred around a different topic, such as awareness of an animal. One T-shirt slogan says ‘Green is the new black’. There’s also ‘Save me, plant a tree’. There’s a Warrior story, with ‘Go wildlife!’ on the front and bird wings on the back. Or ‘Extinct stinks’”.

Martin was at pains to point out that the slogans are “cute”, not kitsch.

“It’s by no means in your face, and it’s not done to look like tourist T range” she said. “It’s a fashion line. There’s a really cute croc camo – a camo print made out of different crocodiles blended into each other. That’s in the Jungle Safari story”.

And Bindi was apparently hands-on in this design process. Martin told Fully Chic Bindi came up with many of the slogans herself. Her handwriting also features on the T-shirts and she had final approval on the collection.

“She changed a couple of little things – pockets on a dress, that sort of thing” said Martin. “She’s great, very entertaining”.

One thing the Bindi Wear International camp wouldn’t be drawn on however was the awkward proximity of the MAGIC mega launch to the anniversary of Irwin’s death.

“We’re not allowed to talk about it” said Martin.

Little chance of that happening in Vegas we imagine, once Team Irwin touches down and is besieged by the US media.